Irregular border crossings into EU down 42 per cent since January

The number of irregular border crossings at the European Union's external borders fell by 42 per cent in the first nine months of the year, according to preliminary figures published by Frontex on Tuesday.

Frontex recorded 166,000 attempts to enter the territory of the EU illegally between January and September. In the same period last year, the European border agency counted nearly 280,000, the highest number since the 2016 refugee crisis.

The drop in the number of border crossings over the past nine months was mainly felt on the Western Balkan route, where crossings fell by 79 per cent, and on the Central Mediterranean route to Italy, where they fell by 64 per cent.

In contrast, the number of crossings on the Eastern Mediterranean route to Greece increased by 15 per cent. Frontex recorded the largest increase on the eastern land route to Poland, where the number of border crossings increased by 192 per cent.

The number of crossings from West Africa to the Canary Islands also increased by 100 percent. Departures from the EU to the UK remained more or less stable, with an increase of 2 per cent.

 

An Italian Frontex border guard patrols the Bulgarian-Serbian border near the Serbian village of Gradina in 2023 © PHOTO NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV / AFP


Related news

Website preview
Illegal pushbacks at Europe's external borders up by a third
The number of illegal pushbacks at Europe's external borders rose by a third last year to 346,004. They have become standard policy and result in...
belganewsagency.eu
Website preview
Frontex border agents to be deployed in Belgium
Agents from the European border agency Frontex can be deployed on Belgian territory to assist the federal police with border controls, the Chamber...
belganewsagency.eu

Get updates in your mailbox

By clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

About belganewsagency.eu

Belga News Agency delivers dependable, rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media. The information covers all sectors, from politics, economics and finance to social affairs, sports and culture, not to mention entertainment and lifestyle.

Every day, our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories, dozens of online information items, plus audio and video bulletins, all in both national languages. Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language.

For public institutions, businesses and various organisations that need reliable information, Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs.

Contact

Arduinkaai 29 1000 Brussels

www.belganewsagency.eu